If you’re in the mood for a history nerd and want to sink your teeth into the fun and exciting Berlin story of divided Berlin, then a Communist Tour in Berlin is something you just cannot miss. On this tour, you will go back in time to an era when Germany was divided in two; East and West and you’ll have a chance to see here remains of a bygone era. With us let’s explore the history of East Germany!
1. Learn about the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a physical barrier down the middle of the city of Berlin from 1961 until 1989. The German Democratic Republic (GDR) built the East and West Berlin dividing it. Visiting the remains of the Berlin Wall and learning something of the Berlin Wall’s significance is an essential part of the Communist Tour. You’ll see the now iconic place known as Checkpoint Charlie, where diplomats and foreigners were allowed to cross between East and West during the Cold War.
2. Visit the East Side Gallery
A stretch of the Berlin Wall is an East Side Gallery of an open air gallery. More than 100 murals by world artists, conveying political and social messages, are to be featured. As powerful reminder of fight of the past and triumph of reunification, this unique art installation is something to see.
2.1. Must-see murals at the East Side Gallery:
“The Kiss” by Dimitri Vrubel
Birgit Kinder, “Trabant Breaks Through the Wall”
“Thumbs Up” by Birgit Kinder
3. Explore the Stasi Museum
The story of operations of the East German secret police is told by the Stasi Museum. Set in the former HQ of the Ministry for State Security, it is a chilling picture of how the GDR kept an eye on its citizens. There are exhibits exploring spy equipment, interrogation rooms and personal stories, all aimed at helping you better understand life in East Germany.
4. Take a wander down Karl Marx Allee
A grand boulevard, Karl-Marx-Allee is an exemplar of socialist urban planning’s architectural style. Built as an example of what the GDR hoped a socialist society would become, this was. This wide avenue, marvellously lined with magnificent apartment blocks and monumental buildings, is a good place to walk and form some impression of the scale and ambition of the time.
4.1. Noteworthy buildings along Karl-Marx-Allee:
Frankfurter Tor
Apartment buildings that looked like Stalinist style
Café Moskau
5. Pay a visit to the DDR Museum
The interactive and immersive DDR Museum takes you to back to being in the life of East Germany. See how it was to live in an East German apartment, experience a semi-reconstructed apartment, discover what would have been the life of an East German student in the educational and the economic system, try interactive exhibits.
6. Experience of driving a Trabant
The Trabant was East Germany’s iconic car – and you can still see a few of them on the streets of Berlin now. Join us on a Trabant driving experience where you’ll get to drive and learn about these special cars. And it’s a really fun, nostalgic kind of way to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of East Germany. But don’t forget to pick up a Trabant souvenir.
7. A visit to the Palace of Tears will finish off your tour
Berlin Friedrichstraße station near to the Palace of Tears was where trains departed for trains heading from East to West Berlin. It was a place of tears as families and friends parted with the separation of political barriers. Take a look inside the palace and explore the exhibition, which reflects personal stories of the division’s victims.
7.1. Tips for visiting the Palace of Tears:
Give yourself enough time to look at the personal stories and in the atmosphere.
But, if you want to understand a little better, you can take a guided tour.
And finally, a Communist Tour in Berlin offers an amazing chance to learn the history of East Germany. This tour takes you through the Berlin Wall, the East Side Gallery, former Stasi Museum and Karl-Marx-Allee in a way that each stop gives you a different view of life in a divided city. Ready? So grab your camera, put on your walking shoes and go join us in our journey back in time!
